6.14 To Bee or Not to Bee/Script
Charmed Reloaded ;6.14 To Bee or Not to Bee Halliwell Manor during the day. An explosion is heard from the outside. Cut to inside, where Piper ducks behind the couch to avoid a Fire Ball. She takes cover next to Phoebe, who is also ducking behind the couch. Piper looks at the destruction around her. Piper: Great, I just cleaned this morning. Phoebe: Let’s focus on the current problem first, okay? (Piper peeks over the couch and sees two insect-like demons standing in the middle of the room. They have huge, bug-like eyes and make a buzzing sound. Piper flicks her hand and blows one up, though another instantly takes its place through glistening. Piper quickly ducks to avoid another Fire Ball.) Piper: Okay, so that didn’t work. What is keeping Paige? Phoebe: Maybe these demons aren’t in the book. (The demons begin to circle the couch to corner the sisters. Paige runs down the stairs and flings her arm. The demons are thrown back. Her sisters get up and meet her at the bottom of the stairs.) Piper: So? Paige: So they are not in the book. Piper: Well, we need to figure something out. I’m tired of playing whack-a-demon. They just keep popping up all over the place. Phoebe: Have we tried bug spray? (Piper and Paige frown at her.) Sorry, bad joke. Piper: So what is the plan? Paige: (As she holds up a piece of paper.) I wrote a spell. (The sisters gather to read the spell. Both of the demons get up and throw Fire Balls. Paige manages to deflect one, but the other hits Phoebe in the shoulder. She cries out in pain and falls down. Piper throws up her hands and freezes the demons, though they instantly begin to adjust.) Piper: Quickly, the spell. (Paige helps Phoebe up and they cast the spell.) Piper, Phoebe and Paige: The Power of Three shall erase, your ugly faces from this place. (The demons unfreeze and begin to spasm as they catch fire and are reduced to ashes, leaving only two small piles of ash on the floor. This time, no more appear to take their place.) Piper: Short, but effective. Paige: That takes care of them. Phoebe: Yeah, but we better take care of this. (She turns and reveals a large burn mark on her shoulder.) I’ll live, but it stings like hell. Piper: Paige, help her sit down. I’ll call Charlie. (She yells.) Charlie! (pauses) Charlie! (Paige helps Phoebe on the couch. Piper impatiently looks up when nothing happens.) Piper: Not again. Charlie! (She turns to her sisters.) Paige! Paige: What? How should I know where he is? Piper: Sense him. (Paige nods and closes her eyes. After a moment, she opens them.) Paige: I think I have him. Piper: Great, orb me over there so I can kick his ass. (Paige waves her hand and Piper disappears in a flurry of orbs. Paige turns to Phoebe.) Paige: I do not want to be Charlie right now. Scene A small and rundown apartment. Piper appears in a flurry of orbs and is shocked by the mess around her. There are empty beer bottles, pizza boxes and clothes scattered all over. A surfboard is standing by the door. On the table, she notices an ashtray and a large bag of weed. Piper: Unbelievable. (Piper heads into the bedroom and find Charlie sleeping on his bed in a shirt and boxer briefs. Annoyed, Piper flicks her hand and a lamp on the nightstand explodes. Charlie is startled awake and falls out of bed.) Charlie: (as he sits up.) Man, what the hell? Piper: Morning, sunshine. Get some pants on, we need to talk. (Charlie sighs and shakes his head, still a little disoriented. When Piper glares at him, he smiles uncomfortably.) Scene -Opening Credits- Halliwell Manor, a few moments later. A fully dressed Charlie is sitting on the couch next to Phoebe, healing her while Piper and Paige wait. The glow from Charlie’s hands is irregular and it is taking longer than usual. Eventually, the wound heals. Charlie: (looking at his hands.) Sorry, guess I’m still a little baked. Piper: Alright, now that Phoebe is healed, we can get serious. What the hell is wrong with you? Charlie: That’s a long list. Paige: Charlie, we need to talk about this. Phoebe was hurt and you weren’t there. We called for you. Piper: And it’s not the first time you flaked on us either. Phoebe: (trying to calm the situation.) Guys, I’m alright. It was just a minor burn. Piper: This time, but what if one of us is dying next time? We need a Whitelighter we can depend on. Charlie: Then I guess you got the wrong guy. Piper: Clearly. Paige: (concerned) What’s going on, Charlie? Just talk to us. Charlie: Nothing is going on. (He stands up.) This is who I am, I never wanted to be your Whitelighter, remember? The only reason I’m here is because Leo sent me. Phoebe: Why did he? He must have had a reason. Charlie: Beats me. Maybe he saw something that wasn’t there. Piper: (angrily) Leo always sees the best in people, but right now, I don’t see a lot of good. You are lazy and refuse to take anything seriously. I can’t believe I trusted you with my children. You’re just a useless slacker. Phoebe: Piper… Charlie: You’re right. Maybe you should just fire me and get it over with. Piper: Gladly. (Her sisters start to object, but Piper ignores them.) Charlie, you’re fired. I never want to see you again. (Charlie looks somewhat upset, though he quickly hides it.) Charlie: You got it. I won’t be a bother anymore. (Charlie disappears in a column of orbs.) Phoebe: (concerned) Piper. Piper: What? Paige: That was really harsh. Piper: Well, I was right, wasn’t I? (Her sisters hesitate.) I did what needed to be done. We need a real Whitelighter. Not one that acts like a lazy kid. Phoebe: I’m not saying you’re wrong, Piper, but firing him? Piper: What choice did I have? Paige: We could have tried talking to him. Look, I’ve seen the other side of Charlie. He really is a good and kind person when he wants to be. Phoebe: I think something happened to him in the past, something that made him give up. He probably acts like he doesn’t care so he won’t get hurt again. Piper: (As she sits down.) Now you’re making me feel guilty. Paige: It’s not your fault, Piper. You were upset because Phoebe got hurt. Piper: Still, you obviously saw something that I didn’t. Phoebe: Maybe it’s because you’re too similar. Piper: Excuse me? Phoebe: Oh, I don’t know, deflecting your problems with sarcasm much? Piper: I don’t do that. (Both Phoebe and Piper stare at her.) Okay, maybe I do. So how I fix this? Paige: Maybe you should try talking to him. Piper: Really? (She sighs.) Alright, fine. I’ll go see him. Can one of you watch the twins? Paige: I can’t, there’s an open day at the police academy. Phoebe: Oh, you’re really going through with it? Paige: I think so, I’ve been thinking about it a lot since my last case with Darryl. I’m just going to check it out. Phoebe: Good for you. (She turns to Piper.) I’ll watch the twins. I can write my column from home. I want to avoid Derek anyway. Piper: Alright. (Piper gets her purse and leaves the manor. She gets into her car and drives off. As she does, another bug-like demon is seen hiding in the bushes. It disappears in a glistening manner.) Scene The Bay Mirror. Derek is in his office, working on his computer. There is a knock on the door. When Derek looks up, he sees Elise standing there. Derek: Elise, how can I help you? Elise: (impatiently) You can tell me what is going on. Derek: I don’t know what you mean. Elise: Don’t play dumb with me. I mean what is going on between you and Phoebe. She is barely at the office and just mails in her column. Derek: With all due respect, Elise, I don’t see how our personal lives are any of your business. Elise: It is my business when it’s affecting my paper. Both of your work the last couple of weeks has been less than impressive. You’re distracted and I need you at your best. Derek: It won’t be an issue anymore. (Elise nods and turns around, but then she hesitates. She closes the door and walks to the desk.) Elise: Look, I’m not just saying this because of the paper. Phoebe is important to me, and I do not want to see her get hurt. Are we going to have a problem? Derek: (as he rises from his chair.) I get what you’re saying, Elise. I appreciate you looking out for Phoebe, but it’s not my intention to hurt her. Elise: Good. I’m glad we’re on the same page. Now get back to work. (Elise turns and walks away. When she is gone, Derek grabs his phone.) (Cut to the Mather Cooperation, where Fiona is sitting behind her desk. She smiles when she sees Derek is calling her. She answers it.) Derek: It’s me. Fiona: I’m surprised to hear from you. Something wrong? Derek: No, just checking in. Fiona: Alright, we’re ready to test the cure. We just need a subject. Derek: I’m working on it. (He pauses.) Just promise me that they won’t get hurt. Fiona: If the cure works, we will no longer have a reason to hurt a witch, ever again. The threat of magic is all we care about. Derek: Then consider it done. (Derek hangs up the phone. Fiona dials another number.) Fiona: Get the lab ready. We have a test subject coming in soon. Scene The Police Academy. Paige is standing in front of the building, looking at everything around her. There are hundreds of people walking around. There are stalls with information and police personal giving demonstrations, like self-defense moves. Paige is a little disoriented. A handsome man in a police academy t-shirt notices her. Man: Can I help you with anything? Paige: Just looking around. It’s a lot to take in. Man: Are you considering applying? Paige: I am, but I haven’t made up my mind. Man: What’s stopping you? Paige: I don’t know. I’m not sure I’m cut out for it. Man: I could help you find out. Paige: How? Man: As part of the open day, we have an aptitude test. We’ll do a personality test and a fitness exercise to see if you have what it takes. Interested? Paige: Definitely. Man: Great. (He smiles and holds out his hand.) I’m Aaron. I’m a guidance counselor here. Paige: (smiling flirtingly as she shakes his hand.) Then I know I’m in good hands. I’m Paige. (Aaron shows her the way and Paige follows him. Across the street, a bug-like demon is observing them from a sewage entrance.) Scene Charlie’s apartment. There is a knock on the door. When there is no answer, the door opens and Piper enters. Piper: Charlie? (She realizes he is not there and looks up.) Charlie, please, I want to talk to you. (There is no response. Frustrated by the situation and the mess around her, Piper begins cleaning up. A column of orbs appears behind her, Piper turns around, expecting to see Charlie, but it’s another, male whitelighter.) Piper: Who are you? Whitelighter: Hugh. I was sent as a messenger. Piper: Sent by whom? Hugh: By Leo. Piper: (frowning) Leo? Why did he sent you? Why didn’t he come down here himself? Hugh: I’m sorry, Piper. Working on the council keeps him busy. Piper: Too busy to visit his children? Hugh: It’s not my place to say, but trust me, he struggles with it. He would come down here if he could. Piper: (nodding.) Thank you for telling me. So what message were you sent to deliver? Hugh: Don’t give up on Charlie. He lost his way long ago, but Leo sent him to you to help him find it again. And to help you find yours. Piper: What happened to him? Hugh: That is information I cannot share with you. Only Charlie can. Good luck. (Hugh orbs away.) Piper: Well, that was pointless. (She looks up.) You could have at least told me where to find him! (There is a jingle and a gust of wind, causing a picture to fall off the wall. Piper picks it up and sees it’s a picture of Charlie on a surfboard. She turns and sees the surfboard that was there earlier is gone.) Piper: (looking up.) Thanks, Leo. Scene Halliwell Manor. Phoebe is working on her laptop in the conservatory while the twins are in their playpen. The doorbell rings and Phoebe goes to get it. When she opens the door, she finds Elise standing before her. Phoebe: Elise. What a surprise. Elise: (as she enters.) Hello, Phoebe. Phoebe: Is this about my absence in the office? Because I am working on my column as we speak. I can show you. Elise: I don’t mind you working from home, Phoebe. I just came to check on you. Phoebe: Why? Elise: I had a talk with Derek this morning. Clearly something is going on between the two of you. Phoebe: I really can’t talk about this, Elise. Elise: I don’t want to pry. But if something happened, if there is an issue, we can work something out. Phoebe: Like what? You would fire him for me? Elise: (determined) If that’s what it takes. He is the best crime reporter we’ve had in years, but your column is what really draws in the readers. Phoebe: (smiling) Elise, I really appreciate this, but we’ll work it out. Don’t go firing anyone on my behalf. Elise: Alright. But I want you back in the office soon. Phoebe: Don’t worry, I will be back soon. Thank you for checking up on me. (Phoebe hugs Elise, who seems a bit uncomfortable at first, but then smiles.) Elise: You’re not just another employee, Phoebe. I hope you know that. Phoebe: I know. Thank you. (Phoebe says goodbye to Elise and lets her out. When she returns to the conservatory, a bug-like demon glistens in.) Phoebe: Crap. (The demon throws a Fire Ball and Phoebe levitates to avoid it. She lands and rolls across the floor to avoid another. She leaps up to kick the demon in the face. It falls and crashes through the table. The twins begin to cry. The demon leaps up and throws a Fire Ball at the playpen.) Phoebe: (screaming) No! (Before the Fire Ball can hit, a crystal cage activates around the playpen due to the crystals hidden around it, deflecting the attack back at the demon and hurting it. Phoebe runs toward it.) Phoebe: This is for attacking my niece and nephew. (Phoebe places her hands over the demon’s face and tiny bolts of electricity hit its temples. She overloads its mind with images and feelings until it is vanquished. Phoebe runs to check on the twins, but then another demon appears.) Phoebe: (annoyed) Oh, come on. Scene The Police Academy, a gymnasium. Paige and Aaron are there. Paige has changed into some workout clothes from the academy. Aaron is showing Paige some self-defense moves and Paige can’t help but admire his muscular physique as he does. Aaron: Think you can keep up? Paige: I think I’ll manage, I lead a surprisingly active life. (Aaron picks up a bottle of water but finds it empty.) Aaron: I’m going to get some water. Do you need a refill? Paige: (as she hands over her own empty bottle.) Thanks. Aaron: No problem. Keep practicing and I’ll be right back. (Aaron smiles and leaves the gymnasium. Paige practices the moves he showed her, but then notices a bug-like demon glistening in.) Paige: If this ruins my chances at the academy, I am so going to blame you. (The demon throws a Fire Ball and Paige deflects it back at him with telekinesis.) Paige: How do I kill these tough bastards on my own? (Paige looks around and noticed a few empty weight bars on a rack. She raises her hand to lift them in the air and then flings her arm. The bars fly at the demon, impaling him several times. The demon is reduced to ashes, but another one appears.) Paige: (sighing) Not again. Scene The beach near San Francisco. It is mostly deserted as Piper arrives. She sees a surfer catching some waves. She heads over and sees it’s Charlie as he gets out of the water. He doesn’t notice Piper as he places his board in the sand and strips the wetsuit to his waist. Piper: You’re pretty good. (Charlie turns around and is surprised to see her.) Charlie: What are you doing here? Piper: I came to talk. Charlie: I think you made yourself pretty clear earlier. Piper: Look, I’m sorry. I was upset and… Charlie: You were right. I’m not cut out to be a Whitelighter. You and your sisters should have someone who is more capable. Piper: You are capable. You just don’t want to be. (Charlie doesn’t respond and instead sits down to look at the waves. Piper frowns, thinking of something to say. She sits down next to him.) Piper: Why do you like surfing? Charlie: When I’m out on the waves, I feel free. It’s a place where you can forget everything around you and just be. Piper: What are you trying so hard to forget? Charlie: Life in general. Piper: Come on, what happened? Charlie: Nothing I want to talk about. You wouldn’t understand anyway. Piper: Try me. (She pauses.) Did you lose someone? Because I know a little about that. I lost a lot of people. Charlie: It’s not the same. Piper: How come? Charlie: (bitterly.) It’s different when it’s your fault. (Charlie turns away and looks at the waves again. Piper looks sad, realizing the guilt he is living with.) Piper: When I lost Prue, I was angry for a long time. I blamed myself for failing her, Leo for not healing her, Phoebe for not being there. (pauses) I blamed Prue for dying. And because of my anger, it took me a long time to open up to Paige. I was closed off, but the people around me pulled me through. Charlie: Lucky you. Piper: (As she stands up.) You’re not alone either, Charlie. You have people who can pull you through, if you let them in. (Piper begins to walk away.) Charlie: You make it sound easy. Piper: (as she turns to him.) It’s not. But escaping into the waves will not make life go away. (Piper leaves, leaving Charlie to stare into the sea.) Scene Halliwell Manor. Piper returns home and hears a scream coming from the conservatory. She runs in and sees Phoebe being thrown across the room by a demon. Piper freezes the demon and helps her up. The demon begins to adjust. Piper: What is going on? Phoebe: (relieved) Good, you’re back. They just keep coming. Piper: The twins? Phoebe: They’re fine. It was a smart move to set up the crystals around the playpen. Piper: I’m not taking any risks. (The demon unfreezes and tries to throw a Fire Ball. Piper freezes it again. At that moment, Paige orbs in.) Paige: Incoming! (Paige is followed by another demon, which Piper quickly blows up. Two more take its place, though Piper freezes them as well.) Piper: The spell. (The sisters hold hands to cast the spell.) Piper, Phoebe and Paige: The Power of Three shall erase, your ugly faces from this place. (The demons ignite and are reduces to ashes. However, this time, more take their place.) Phoebe: This is bad. Why do they keep coming? Piper: Quick, the attic. Grab the twins and head upstairs, I’ll keep blowing them up. (Phoebe and Paige grab the twins and head upstairs, Piper follows them, freezing or blowing up any demon that gets in their way. She is struck in the arm with a Fire Ball and screams in pain and stops for a moment.) Piper: Charlie! (The sisters reach the attic and close the door. Paige waves her hand and a circle of crystals form a protective shield around them through a swirl of orbs. The demons enter and circle them. Phoebe frantically searches the book.) Phoebe: Why aren’t they in here? Piper: (as she clutches her burned arm.) Because clearly even the Power of Three can’t stop them. Paige: So we’re doomed? I refuse to believe that. (At that moment, a column of orbs appears in between the demons. It’s Charlie.) Charlie: Hey guys. (The demons throw Fire Balls, though Charlie orbs out so they hit each other. When he reappears, Paige moves a crystal so he can enter the crystal cage.) Charlie: Quite the party you’ve got going on. Piper: (relieved) You came. Charlie: I thought about what you said. You were right. (He begins to heal Piper’s arm.) Paige: Can we save the personal realizations for later? We’re about to be killed by an army of unstoppable demons. Charlie: Oh, they’re not unstoppable. They’re Swarm Demons, pretty nasty. They’ve got this bee-like hive structure going on. As long as their queen is alive, they will keep coming. Phoebe: How do we find the queen? Charlie: (as he finishes healing Piper.) She can’t be far, the swarm only get aggressive when someone invades their territory. And seeing how the queen is attracted to places of power… Piper: The nexus. She is in the basement. Charlie, stay with the kids. (The sisters gather and Paige orbs them away.) (The sisters reappear in the basement in a flurry of orbs and are shocked by what they see. In the middle of the basement there is a large cocoon-like structure with a female demon inside. She looks similar to her minions, only larger. She buzzes when she sees them. Several demons appear around her, but Piper freezes them. They quickly begin to adjust.) Paige: That is disgusting. Piper: (creeped out) How long has it been here? Phoebe: I don’t know, let’s just get it over with. (The sisters join hands to cast the vanquishing spell.) Piper, Phoebe and Paige: The Power of Three shall erase, your ugly faces from this place. (The queen and her demons scream out as they are engulfed in flames and reduces to ashes. In the attic, the demons are reduced to ashes as well and Charlie smiles relieved.) Scene The Police Academy. Aaron is walking through the hallway as Paige tries catching up to him. Paige: Aaron! (Aaron stops and turns. He crosses his arms and seems somewhat frustrated.) Aaron: Oh, so you haven’t skipped out on me. Paige: I’m really sorry, I had a family emergency. Aaron: Then you should have said so. (He pauses.) Look, Paige, becoming a cop is serious. You can’t just take off like that. If you’re not interested, just say so. Paige: No, I am. I am ready to do this. Aaron: Well, your test scores did come back pretty positive. You have a strong sense of justice, you seem dedicated to helping people and you passed all the physical requirements. I’m just not sure if you are ready to commit. Paige: No, I am. Just give me a chance to prove it. Aaron: Alright, but you only get one second chance with me. (He relaxes a little and smiles.) I’ll pass on my recommendation, but I’ll be keeping a personal eye on you. Paige: (flirtingly) I’ll hold you to that. (Aaron gives her a sign-up sheet and walks away. Paige smiles and begins filling in the sheet.) Scene The Bay Mirror. Phoebe enters the office and places some papers on her assistant’s desk. She looks around and sees Elise coming toward her. Elise: You’re back. Phoebe: I realized I can’t keep hiding out at home. Plus we had a little bug infestation and I needed some fresh air. Elise: Good. Any longer and I would have given your office away. (She smiles when Phoebe looks shocked.) That was a joke. Sort-of. Just use it once in a while. (Elise walks away. Phoebe takes a deep breath and heads to Derek’s office. However, when she opens it, she sees he is not there. She stares at his empty chair for a moment and then leaves.) Scene Halliwell Manor. Piper is sweeping up the ashes left by the demons in the attic when Charlie enters. Piper stops sweeping. Piper: Hey. Charlie: Hey. Piper: Thank you, for your help with the demons. Charlie: No problem, just lucky I encountered them before. I wanted to thank you as well. For what you said at the beach. Piper: I meant it. I’m here if you want to talk. Charlie: I know, but I’m not ready for that. (He pauses.) I just wanted you to know that things will be different from now on. Piper: (smirking) No more slacking off? Charlie: (smiling) No promises, I’m still lazy, you know. But I will be there when you need me. Piper: Good to know. (she pauses.) Are you staying for dinner? I’m making lasagna. Charlie: Oh, I love lasagna. Piper: Good. (She pushes the broom in his hands.) I’ll get started, so you can finish up cleaning here. Charlie: Are you kidding me? (Piper smiles as she walks away. Charlie rolls his eyes and begins sweeping.) Scene An apartment building. Cut to inside one of the apartments, where a redheaded woman is cooking dinner. She turns around and it is revealed to be Christine. Just as she begin cutting up vegetables, there is a knock on the door. Christine: Frank. Did you forget your keys again? (She puts down the knife and heads to the door.) What would you do without me? (Christine opens the door expecting to see her boyfriend, but instead she sees Derek.) Christine: (nervous.) No. (Christine tries to close the door, but Derek stops her and enters the apartment. Christine backs away.) Christine: I helped you, I saved your life. I thought you were on our side. Phoebe… Derek: (interrupting her.) I’m sorry. Magic is a threat. I’m doing what is right for everyone. (Christine holds out her hand and the knife from the kitchen appears in her hand in a flashing manner.) Christine: I’m not going back to that place. Derek: We’re not going to hurt you. (Derek pulls out a gun and shoots Christine with a tranquilizer gun. She charges at him with the knife, but quickly collapses and passes out. Derek stands over her with a troubled look.) Derek: You will be safer without your magic. We all will. Scene End Episode. Category:Scripts